Central Lesvos

The main town of Central Lesvos is Kalloni, a thriving commercial and cultural centre since ancient times. The archaeological finds of the area prove that it has known days of prosperity during the Byzantine and Medieval periods. At a distance of 4 km south from Kalloni, after the picturesque hamlets of Ariana, Kerami and Papiana you can find Skala Kallonis, which in resent years has developed as a tourist resort. In the springtime of each year, birdwatchers that visit the island in large numbers come to observe the flying population (indigent and migrant).

Temple of Messa

Kalloni waterland

At a distance of 3 km northwest of Kalloni is the Monastery Limonos. During the Turkish Occupation it was the only intellectual centre in the island and the spiritual centre of Christianity. It has a library, a museum of Ecclesiastical Art and a museum of Geology. In the near vicinity you can find the Convent of Panayia Myrsiniotissa. Inside the Cathedral you can admire valuable Byzantine icons, an old fretwork icon-screen and significant wall paintings.

Agia Paraskevi City Hall

Kalloni Beach

Returning back to Kalloni and continuing southeast, you will go through the hamlet of Arisvi. If you then head north, you will come to the small town of Agia Paraskevi, a place where the ancient custom of animal sacrifices on festive days has not died. Notable buildings to admire are neoclassical mansions, the imposing church of the Archangels and a beautiful school. To the north of Agia Paraskevi, you will find the mountain village of Napi and near it the remains of the ancient temple of Klopedi, the early-Christian basilica of b and the bridge of Kremasti. If you continue south from Arisvi, you will go past the Kalloni Salt Works and the remarkable Wetland which attracts the birds. After that you will find the ancient Temple of Messa build by the Aeolians in the 3rd century BC, where the gods Zeus, Hera and Dionysus were worshipped.

Panagia Mirsiniotissa

Panagia Mirsiniotissa

At the fork junction, taking the right fork south and following the Gulf of Kalloni coastline, you will come to coastal location of Achladeri, a fertile place full of natural beauty and the tranquil cove where the ancient town Pyra, sank into the sea after an earthquake in 231 BC. These days at the same site you will find only a small roadside taverna, where you can enjoy, a drink or two anytime of the day, the catch of the local fishermen and a few farming buildings on the hillside.